For many years people have taken pride in their gardens and in products to beautify and bring out the best from them not only from the methods of cultivation employed, but also in showing off the garden to its potential.
A well looked after and presented garden provides a little sanctuary or haven where people can relax and unwind after a hard day's work. This has become increasingly important in the difficult economic times we all face.
In order to keep one's precious plants alive when one goes on holiday, many use automatic watering systems. These vary from fully automated electronic systems using sprinklers to drip feed systems using a reservoir, usually in the form of an inverted container which uses gravity and a watering spike to drip feed plants over a period of time.
As living space becomes scarcer, most people are not able to afford the luxury of a large garden, but may have to make use of smaller spaces such as balconies or window ledges.
The present invention extends the current know-how relating to the use of reservoirs in conjunction with drip feed systems by incorporating a lighting system in a unique and innovative way in order to enable the plants to be illuminated in low light, whilst providing a supply of feed to the drip feed device feeding the plant. Thus a dual purpose is served through the practical supply of feed to a drip feed device which feeds the plant and the illumination of the plants in low light allowing the garden to be used or enjoyed after dark.
The invention is very useful for pot plants, but can also be used in gardens.
The invention also encourages use of energy conservation techniques already attained in the field of garden lighting such as solar lamp posts, floating lights and LED lights amongst many others.
Prior art in the same field of technology as the current invention relates to a novelty Christmas Tree Self Watering Ornament, patent number U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,236 A which seeks to use a fibre optic cable and a light source to illuminate a coiled delivery conduit attached to a reservoir.
The present invention differs from U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,236 A in that the invention does not light up the drip feeding portion of the unit (or watering spike that may be used with the reservoir), but is focused on illuminating the reservoir itself. In the present invention the watering spike (which is to be used with the reservoir) in normal use is located partially or wholly underground and so there would be no reason to provide illumination to the drip feed portion of the present invention.
Other prior art relates to US2007/0147024 A1 pertaining to a “Soft Handle with a Lighting Apparatus” and U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,714 B1 pertaining to a “Light Vase”. Both of these inventions seek to provide illumination by means of a light source contained in an inner chamber with transparent walls which illuminates a surrounding outer chamber filled with fluid.
The present invention differs from US2007/0147024 A1 which relates to the illumination of an umbrella handle in the sense that US2007/0147024 A1 is not a system for watering plants. Additionally the light source in US2007/0147024 A1 is permanently located within the inner chamber, whereas the light source in the present invention is removable and may be partially as well as wholly contained in the inner chamber.
The present invention differs from U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,714 B1 which relates to a system for illuminating a vase, in the sense that the vase cannot be operated in an inverted position (as can the present invention), since all the water will empty from the vase. The inner chamber of the vase cannot be formed from an indentation of the exterior chamber. If the inner chamber were formed from an indentation made from the bottom of the vase projecting upwards, this would prevent the heat generated from the lighted candle (light source) from being dissipated as the top of the indentation may be closed (as in the present invention).
In addition the pictures clearly show that inner and outer chambers are two separate chambers lying in situ, one within the other, since at the point where the inner and outer chambers meet (namely at the base) there is no access to the inner chamber. Instead the base is flat (not indented or opened to an inner chamber) to enable the vase to stand and to enable the light source to stand unaided within the inner chamber). Both chambers are also of a similar height and the outer chamber does not fully contain or envelop the inner chamber as the latter protrudes above the outer chamber.
Additionally in U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,714 B1 the liquid in the vase, is not supplying a drip feed to plants and the plants are actually located in the reservoir of the vase. The present invention is a device that is separate from the plants that are fed from its reservoir. The plants are not planted or located in the reservoir.
The Watering device incorporating a light source thus seeks to solve the problem posed by numerous objects being inserted in the soil around plants by reducing the number of such objects and to extend what is currently known in this field of technology by incorporating at least one light source partially or wholly within one or more chambers attached to the exterior of a reservoir, the chamber(s) extending inwardly into the reservoir interior, the reservoir in normal use providing a supply of liquid to a watering spike or drip feed device for feeding plants, said light source being releasably or permanently attached within the inner chamber and said inner chamber(s) being permanently or releasably attached to the reservoir.
In this way the need to have separate lights to illuminate the plants is negated. Thus a dual purpose is served through the practical feeding of the plant and the illumination of the plants in low light allowing the garden to be used or enjoyed after dark.